Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors: Tax Tips for Small and Mid-Sized Business Owners

February 25, 2016 by alexgshifflet

Atlanta Business Radio

Atlanta's Most Trusted Advisors: Tax Tips for Small and Mid-Sized Business Owners

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Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors interviews industry experts from in and around the Metro Atlanta Area. Our goal is to provide valuable information that all business owners and managers can use in their day-to-day work to help them succeed.

Cathy Wright, Mark Fishman, Bonnie Boul Ruszczyk and Ryan Redhawk

Mark Fishman: Mark is a CPA and has a Masters in Taxation with several years of experience in public accounting. He joined Cain & David in 2005 as a Partner. Mark’s areas of practice include manufacturing, technology, telecommunications, distribution, entertainers and athletes, and services companies. He also is the Partner in charge of the firm’s state and local tax practice (SALT) with a specialty in multi-state tax planning, tax credits, nexus requirements, sales tax and ad valorem tax issues. He also advises the firm’s clients in international taxation.

Cathy Wright: Cathy Wright, owner of Wright Tax Solutions, LLC has over 20 years of experience in serving individuals and small businesses with their income tax needs. Wright Tax Solutions, LLC is located in East Cobb.

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk (Host)/ bbr Marketing Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk has been a member of the creative and marketing services community for over 20 years and does not appear to be leaving it anytime soon. As president of bbr marketing, she has relished the challenges of entrepreneurship as she worked to grow and nurture a new business. Since the firm’s inception in 2009, Bonnie has led the young company to become widely recognized and respected within the professional services marketing niche, with award-winning client websites and an outstanding history of business success having worked with clients in 23 states and 2 Canadian provinces.

David Hultstrom with Financial Architects and Matthew Fassnacht with Meridian Investment Partners

February 24, 2016 by ryanredhawk

Atlanta Business Radio

David Hultstrom with Financial Architects and Matthew Fassnacht with Meridian Investment Partners

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ABR_02.24.16 — “Do You Have Your Financial House In Order”

David Hultstrom/Financial Architects

President & Chief Investment OfficerFor over a decade Mr. Hultstrom has served as president of Financial Architects, a registered investment advisory firm that provides personal financial planning and wealth management services for private clients.

He began his career as a Financial Advisor at a small firm in Florida. Realizing his clients’ need for more comprehensive financial advice, he worked for several years in the tax field while earning his MBA and was subsequently a Vice President at Wheat First Butcher Singer (now Wells Fargo Advisors) where he was responsible for teaching financial advisors the nuances of various financial planning and investment techniques as well as the latest technology tools.

Mr. Hultstrom then joined Financeware as the Director of Training where again he instructed financial advisors in the proper methods of performing sophisticated modeling of financial plans and constructing appropriate investment portfolios. Subsequently, he founded Financial Architects, LLC to help individuals more directly.

He has served as a local chapter board member of both the Financial Planning Association and the Society of Financial Services Professionals. He is currently a member of and active in:  The Atlanta Society of Finance and Investment Professionals  The Financial Planning Association of Georgia  The Investment Management Consultants Association  The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA)  Mensa

He has also earned the premier industry designations, including:  Master of Business Administration (MBA)  Certified Financial Planner (CFP®)  Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®)  Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®)

Mr. Hultstrom has served as an arbitrator and expert witness in securities disputes and has taught numerous courses nationwide for CPAs, financial planners, investment managers, and other professionals through several universities and other organizations.

He has been published in Financial Planning and Investments & Wealth Monitor and is the author of a number of white papers on financial planning and wealth management topics. He also produces a newsletter and a blog for thousands of financial professionals and has been quoted in numerous newspapers and journals, including the Chicago Tribune, the Christian Science Monitor, the Economic Times, the Journal of Financial Planning, Newsweek, and the Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Hultstrom resides in Woodstock, Georgia with his wife, Dawn, and their daughter, Alexandra. In addition to her roles as wife and mother, Dawn is an avid marathon runner and a kindergarten teacher at Cherokee Christian Academy where Alex attends high school.

Phone: 770-517-8160 • Fax: 770-517-8159 • Toll Free: 888-Fin-Arch (888-346-2724) 107 Weatherstone Drive, Suite 510 • Woodstock, GA 30188 www.FinancialArchitectsLLC.com

Matthew Fassnacht/Meridian Investment Partners

Chief Investment Advisor

Matthew founded Meridian Investment Partners in 2011 and manages all client assets. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst®, Certified Financial Planner™ and Certified Public Accountant. Professional memberships include the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute, Atlanta Society of Finance and Investment Professionals, Board of Certified Financial Planners and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Matthews combination of investment and tax

experience allows him to take a comprehensive approach to wealth management and give clients the best opportunity to achieve their financial objectives. With more than 14 years of investment experience, Matthew is one of the few Chartered Financial Analysts in Georgia offering individual portfolio management services.

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Phone(s) Office, Cell, etc.:

(404) 585-5946

(404) 991-8489

RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE UPDATE: Tom Hogan with Embassy National Bank

February 17, 2016 by Mike

On the Money

RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE UPDATE: Tom Hogan with Embassy National Bank

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On this episode of “On the Money“, host Joe Moss discusses residential mortgages with Tom Hogan, Senior Vice President of Residential Mortgage Banking at Embassy National Bank.

Tom Hogan/Embassy National Bank

A new building with an old soul, Embassy National Bank was founded in 2007 to meet a need of its community: a truly business-friendly local partner who could make lending and banking accessible, straightforward and grounded. A local group of businessmen with backgrounds in finance, banking and hospitality created that partner for the greater Atlanta area, especially the communities of Lawrenceville, Duluth, Suwanee and Norcross. To support that vision, Embassy National Bank has assembled a team of managers and bankers with both local and nationwide experience to support the bank’s mission: to be the community partner small businesses want, and one their neighbors need.

To watch the video of this show, CLICK HERE.

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“On the Money” focuses on topics and issues allowing small businesses to better navigate the financial services minefield, with analysis and opinions from today’s industry experts on banking and loans. “On the Money” also introduces you to some of the top small business leaders in the Atlanta market.

Hosted by Joe Moss, the president of Embassy National Bank, “On the Money” airs live every Wednesday at 3:00 PM EST from the Business RadioX studio in Gwinnett.

Spotlight Episode Featuring Veteran Entrepreneurs; Veterans Connect Radio

February 17, 2016 by ryanredhawk

Atlanta Business Radio

Spotlight Episode Featuring Veteran Entrepreneurs; Veterans Connect Radio

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This Episode Brought To You By

Veterans Connect Radio

A spotlight episode of Atlanta Business Radio Co-Hosted by Ryan “Redhawk” McPherson with Business RadioX and Brandon Skolnick with Gathering Of Angels featuring military veteran entrepreneurs in the Atlanta area continuing to serve our families, our communities and our country.

#VeteranPreneur

Left to Right; Ryan Redhawk, Brandon Skolnick, Edgard Sanchez and Samir Patel

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Samir Patel/Mobilization Capital

Samir Patel is an Atlanta native. He graduated from West Point (2008) and served in numerous leadership positions with the US Army to include platoon leader, commander, chief of operations and a procurement/contracting official. He has deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s part of an investment group and his current focus is on building Mobilization Capital. This company solves some of the most challenging cash-flow issues facing government contractors.

spatel@MobilizationCapital.com | 404-723-8410

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Edgard Sanchez/C’est Tout Bon 2 Eat

Edgard Abraham Sanchez (45) – Born and raised in New Orleans, LA. The youngest of 4. Learning my way around the kitchen started at an early age with my mother cooking up meals from my mom and dad’s native land, Nicaragua. I Started working at Mandinas Restaurant in New Orleans at age 15 and picked up some Cajun and Creole cooking till I enlisted the United States Marine Corps at 18. Caught in a drawdown, I was forced out of the Marines after four years and I reluctantly crossed over into the U.S. Army where i continued to be an infantryman. At my 12 year mark my body had taken all that it could after sustaining injuries from a mine-strike in Bosnia. A med board convened and I was instructed to reclassify or get out. I reclassified into supply and logistics and finally retired after an illustrious 22 year career. Upon retirement in 2011 I drove through Atlanta (to see my high school crush) enroute to a GS job I had accepted in Tallahassee, FL. In 2012 I moved to Atlanta after commuting to Atlanta every other week. 2013 married Angel, my high school crush, started working in a warehouse as the inventory assistant to who is now my partner, Milton Mouzon. In 2014 graduated from Kennesaw State University’s Culinary Apprenticeship Program and The Entrepreneurial Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities held at Cornell University. Started C’est Tout Bon 2 Eat in November 2014.

I have 2 daughters from a previous marriage Brittany (23) and Hailey (20).

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John Ray of Bookkeeping Express/Ray Business Advisors, Tara Lamboley of REV Demand, and Ann Hall of Own Your Idea

February 11, 2016 by Mike

Gwinnett Business Radio

John Ray of Bookkeeping Express/Ray Business Advisors, Tara Lamboley of REV Demand, and Ann Hall of Own Your Idea

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Mike Sammond, Tara Lamboley, John Ray, Ann Hall, Steven Julian

John Ray/Bookkeeping Express & Ray Business Advisors

Clients come to Bookkeeping Express/Ray Business Advisors to reduce the stress and anxiety which often comes with day-to-day management of a business. They help clients by taking away the burden of bookkeeping and accounting and improving their business processes. They provide reports on their business which are both robust and easier to understand than traditional financial statements. They can also craft budgets and projections and help find opportunities for expense improvements.

In addition, owner John Ray enjoys making connections for his clients which help build their network and their business. He does all this for a flat monthly fee. His clients don’t worry about a meter running when they call. His company works with small to medium-sized businesses, non-profits, and solopreneurs.

Tara Lamboley/REV Demand

REV Demand was created with the goal of helping owners of business-to-business service organizations achieve the success they envisioned when starting out in business. REV Demand works with small to midsize companies to maximize their top-line revenue by implementing consistent lead generation strategies such as email marketing and webinars to fill the sales pipeline. They establish well-defined and repeatable processes for lead generation and qualification. They also help executive managers to verify that the right people in the organization are reaching the right target audience with the right message.

Ann Hall/Own Your Idea

Own Your Idea is a sole practitioner consulting company providing writing, editing, and proofreading services and business administrative solutions for small business and entrepreneurs. Work can be performed on site or virtually. Their mission is to add value and create solutions.

CLICK HERE to watch the video of this show.

KSU Entrepreneurship Center “The Shrimp Tank” Featuring Brandon Lewis

February 2, 2016 by ryanredhawk

Atlanta Business Radio

KSU Entrepreneurship Center “The Shrimp Tank” Featuring Brandon Lewis

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The Shrimp Tank brings you interviews with some of the most successful business owners in the United States to learn the do’s and don’ts of starting and running a successful business. Then, the fun really starts when we bring in high school and college students to pitch their business ideas to the Shrimp Tank. We don’t fund any business, but we do teach kids how to turn their business ideas into a successful business.

Brandon Lewis/Benchmark Public Adjusting Group

COO and Partner of BenchMark Public Adjusting Group. As a 22 plus-year Atlanta business leader and executive coupled with nine years in the insurance advocacy profession, Brandon Lewis has forged a unique industry crossover. Brandon brings with him the experience of handling over 15 major natural disasters globally.

Brandon is a member of NAPIA and the Founding Treasurer of GAPIA. His other participations include the Atlanta Apartment Association, where he is a member and has educated the association on disaster preparedness. He is also a member of the National Suppliers Council. He has been a guest speaker at Emory University and worked closely with the Red Cross. Brandon attended both Pace University Lubin School of Business and Hofstra University.

The Establishment Atlanta Supply And Demand Atlanta Click Models

Ted Jenkin/Oxygen Financial

(Co – Host)

Ted Jenkin has spent the past 22 years giving personal financial advice to thousands of people across the United States. After graduating from Boston College in 1991, Ted spent more than 16 years working for American Express Financial Advisors/Ameriprise Financial. He was one of the youngest people in the history of the company to reach both Field Vice President and Group Vice President level. He managed more than 800 financial advisors throughout 8 states in his last position with the company. He won the premier performer award, leader of the year award, and had the number one office in the country for more than two years in a row. In 2008, Ted founded oXYGen Financial to help revolutionize the financial services industry by creating a new company that focused on serving the X and Y Generation. oXYGen Financial now has more than 1,700 clients throughout 25 states across the country. Ted has been featured in over 25 magazines and newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and The Huffington Post. He has six advanced designations from the College for Financial Planning (CFP®, CRPC®, CRPS®, AWMA®, AAMS®, CMFC®) and is an on air radio personality featured on the popular drive time Atlanta radio show The Rock 100.5 Morning Show on Rock 100.5 FM. Ted lives in Milton, GA with his wife Genna and three kids Olivia, Lyla, and Louden.

Chris Hanks/ KSU EC

(Co – Host)

Christopher C. Hanks is the founder and executive director of the KSU Entrepreneurship Center. Prior to this, Hanks was the founder and director of the entrepreneurship program at the University of Georgia. He has owned multiple businesses, including music, e-commerce, publishing, and export ventures. He is also the co-author of a best-selling book on low risk entrepreneurship.

Hanks leads the International Entrepreneurship Institute and is certified in business valuation, providing expert witness testimony. Before teaching at UGA, Hanks taught entrepreneurship at Georgia State University and assisted in leading the Russell Center for Entrepreneurship. He earned a BBA from University of Georgia and an MBA from San Jose State University. Before launching his first business, Hanks held corporate risk management positions in the pharmaceutical and beverage industries.

Mary Parker with All n 1 Security Services, Dr. Rashad Sanford with Atlanta Spine Doctors and Garold “Gary” Markle with Energage, Inc.

February 1, 2016 by ryanredhawk

Atlanta Business Radio

Mary Parker with All n 1 Security Services, Dr. Rashad Sanford with Atlanta Spine Doctors and Garold "Gary" Markle with Energage, Inc.

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Mary Parker, Meghan Crumble, Gary Markle, Dr. Hunter and Dr. Sanford

Mary Parker/All n 1 Security Services

Founder & CEO

Ms. Parker is a recognized expert in contract security with more than 30 years of industry experience. She is a highly sought-after speaker and consultant who works with numerous government and corporate clients to develop customized plans and budgets in the areas of security personnel, security technology, and traffic control management. At ALL(n)1, she is charged with developing the vision and direction of the company. This includes creating domestic and global alliances, reviewing operational reports and financial statements, approving company policies and standards, and promoting the company to the community and potential clients.

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Dr. Rashad Sanford/Atlanta Spine Doctors

Founder

Dr. Rashad Sanford is a chiropractor to dozens of entertainers and celebrities. His two offices, Atlanta Spine Doctors, are located in Dunwoody and Atlanta. He is a graduate of Morris Brown College and Life University in Atlanta, GA. He has more than a decade of experience. His clients includes dozens of NFL, NBA, and MLB players.

His expertise includes spinal care, arthritis, sinus pain, cold/flu, allergies, prenatal care, headaches, sports injuries, and much more.

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Garold “Gary” Markle/Energage, Inc

Founder and CEO

Gary Markle is one of the most sought-after experts on how to improve human capital to transform companies into highly productive enterprises where people actually enjoy going to work. Markles landmark work, Catalytic Coaching: The End of the Performance Review spent 37 weeks as an Amazon best seller, ranking it in the top 5% of all books sold, and earning it the coveted Five Star rating. His follow-up book, No More Performance Reviews has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company and The Detroit Free Press. It was also favorably reviewed by Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Gary Markle has spent three decades as a Human Resources manager, executive, and coach, including 18 years with the leading Fortune 500 oil companies and 16 years as the CEO of Energage, one of the top employee engagement companies in North America.

Energage® teaches employers how to transform employees into high-performing teams by letting go of everything they think they know about human resource management.

A recent Gallup poll revealed that two-thirds of companies are changing their performance evaluation programs and that 70% of those companies said their previous programs had failed. Whats worse, that failure rate has not changed in 15 years. Thats because technological advances do not address a fundamental flaw: Performance evaluations do not work, and they actually increase legal liability.

By teaching managers how to use the principles of Catalytic Coaching® developed by Gary Markle

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Steve Greenbaum, Fran Tarkenton and Kevin Center with PostNet

January 29, 2016 by ryanredhawk

Atlanta Business Radio

Steve Greenbaum, Fran Tarkenton and Kevin Center with PostNet

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Founded in 1992, PostNet is the leading business-to-business franchise known for providing customized, business-enhancing print, marketing and shipping solutions. Locally owned and operated PostNet locations offer full-service digital printing; direct mail; signage; document binding and finishing; graphic design; and ancillary business services, like private mailbox rental and more. They also offer professional packaging services and shipping with UPS, FedEx, DHL and the U.S. Postal Service. In addition, with the brand’s bricks and clicks business model, each PostNet franchise has both a physical storefront in the community as well as an Online Print Center, offering customers the benefits of quick online transactions and traditional face-to-face service. PostNet has nearly 700 franchise locations across 10 countries.

Fran Tarkenton, Kevin Center and Steve Greenbaum

Steve Greenbaum/Postnet

Steven J. Greenbaum, CFE, has served as Chief Executive Officer and director since he co-founded PostNet in 1992.

Steve is a Certified Franchise Executive and was honored with the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2003. In 2008, Steve served as Chairman of the IFA and is also a past Chair of IFA’s Educational Foundation, FranPAC Advisory Board, Convention and Membership Committees.

In addition, Steve serves on the board of the HealthStore Foundation,® a non-profit organization that has developed 75 franchised Child and Family Wellness Shops (www.cfwshops.com) in rural locations in Kenya.

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Fran Tarkenton/Tarkenton Companies

Founder

Fran Tarkenton knows better than most what it takes to succeed in a competitive arena. As one of the NFL’s all-time great competitors, he was inducted into the National Football League and Collegiate Football Halls of Fame and was an All-American athlete at the University of Georgia. As quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, Fran took his team to the 1973, 1974 and 1976 Super Bowls. He set the all-time NFL passing records for touchdowns (342), yards (47,003) and completions. Those records stood for 17 years.

Fran has taken the lessons learned on the field to become a successful, hands-on entrepreneur, building more than 20 companies during and after his NFL career, the largest reaching revenues of $142 million. At age 75, Fran continues to advise and support small businesses. In partnership with the University of Georgias Terry College of Business, Fran recently launched the Tarkenton Certificate in Entrepreneurship, a comprehensive online education program teaching entrepreneurs everything they need to start a new business and operate an existing business more effectively.

www.TarkentonFinancial.com | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook

Fran | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook

Kevin Center/Postnet

Owner/operator

Atlanta native Kevin Center’s “aha” moment came about 18 months ago while listening to a speaker regale a crowd with the last words of a beloved mentor: “I’ve made millions of dollars, and I’ve achieved a wonderful title. But I look back and ask, ‘What was it all for?’ I didn’t spend enough time with my family. I didn’t have the deep friendships that I should have. I did great in the business world, but at what cost?”

Center isn’t about to make the same mistake. As the new PostNet area developer for greater Atlanta, Center does have ambitious plans to open his own center and help cultivate the PostNet brand in this hotbed of growth: Center wants to see 25-30 centers in the Metro Atlanta region in the next 10-12 years. But his ultimate goal in helping Atlanta small business owners isn’t about fame and fortune, but instead to achieve the flexibility and financial stability that will allow him to attend piano recitals and Little League baseball games — and to help other entrepreneurs achieve the same thing.

“If I have my center staffed appropriately, and if I have the ability to trust my managers, I will have the freedom to do what I need to do — or not even what I need to do — but what I like to do,” he says.

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Tom Briggette of Rosemont Capital Solutions and Rob Coatsworth & Jeff Richardson of CTR Partners

January 28, 2016 by Mike

Gwinnett Business Radio

Tom Briggette of Rosemont Capital Solutions and Rob Coatsworth & Jeff Richardson of CTR Partners

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Mike Sammond, Tom Briggette, Rob Coatsworth, Jeff Richardson, Steven Julian

Tom Briggette/Rosemont Capital Solutions

Rosemont Capital Solutions provides marketplace financing to small business owners. Their typical clients are established companies that do not have a lending relationship with a bank, generally because they haven’t been in business long enough, their credit isn’t good enough, or collateral isn’t strong enough. These business owners feels burdened by credit denial, which prevents them from expanding, hiring, bidding jobs and filling orders. Rosemont Capital Solutions provides an alternative financing solution which allows their companies to perform better and give the owners an opportunity to earn more income.

Rob Coatsworth & Jeff Richardson/CTR Partners

CTR Partners is an advocate for the tenant or buyer in the commercial real estate market. They serve their clients by representing their interests when negotiating lease renewals, new leases, or purchasing office or warehouse space. They improve value by decreasing occupancy costs and time away from business operations, all without incurring any consulting fees for their clients.